New Year, New Me?!? Quick update and my new year resolutions :)

Hello dolls! It's been so long since I've posted on here but I've been super busy with all the holidays and birthdays going on and blah blah blah lol. 

So 2014 is just around the corner and I know every year we always set goals for ourselves..most of the time mine are far fetched and I give up on them but this year I've decided to keep them realistic! 

I've been trying to lose weight for a while now and I can drop a few pounds here and there but I can't ever really see the changes so I give up on the whole thing just to repeat all the steps again in a month. So this year I've set a goal for a reasonable amount of pounds I want to shed in a reasonable amount of time! I'm not doing it to only look better but to feel better and be healthier. I'm in no competition with anyone and I know losing weight happens differently for everyone. I'm going to be doing my weightloss journey diary on here so if you have any tips for me or want to join in...the more the merrier :) 

My other goal for the new year is to be consistent with my blog. I always say I'm going to post daily and let's face it...I don't. So I'm thinking maybe once a week or even twice is something I can handle. Lots of makeup reviews and DIY projects coming soon!!! :)

I'm also looking forward to posting my very first video on youtube soon! I've got a New Year's Eve make up tutorial and my everyday go to make up tutorial lined up soooooo yeah I'm pretty excited!!! Just trying to figure out how to go about filming it since I don't have any fancy equipment to use but I've got a phone with a good camera and editing software so maybe I'll try that and see how it goes lol! 

Well I think that's it for now! I'll do my best to post again soon! Until next time dolls...stay beautified and glamorized!!!! Muahhh 

xoxo - Katie 

September Beauty Favorites!

Hello dolls and happy October! I can't believe how fast another month has come and gone. I've been slacking with my posts but I'm hoping to get on a routine or schedule for posting soon! 

Also, I've had a few people ask me to do more posts "make up" wise. I promise they are coming! I'm planning on doing a fall makeup look either later on today or Thursday but this is just going to be a quick little post (hope you don't mind) :)

Ok so- favorites...this is a very popular subject on beauty blogs and youtube. Basically all it is, is talking or writing about about current products you are loving or have been loving the past month. 

Here are mine:

Clariol Shimmer Lights PURPLE SHAMPOO! (This stuff is great for getting rid of brassy tones in dyed hair! It helped me fix a very MAJOR DIY hair dye uh-oh and now I'm in love!!! It says it's for blonde hair which I clearly don't have but non the less it works!) 

Ponds Luminous Clean Wet Cleansing Towelettes (my all time fav makeup wipes! Can't live with out these babies in my life lol...the ones in the pink packaging. Others are just not the same!) 

The Balm NUDE TUDE eye shadow palette (the pigmentation of the shadows is awesome and they are super blendable! Not to mention this palette has some great fall colors) 

Revlon Color Stay Foundation (this foundation comes in two different formulas- one for dry skin, the other for oily skin. Mine is the oily formula...my skin has been acting super crazy lately. This is my holy grail drugstore foundation by far. Nothing compares! Full coverage and keeps me matte all day. I'm in the shade 330 natural tan.)

Nivea A Kiss Of Smoothness hydrating lip care lip balm (I use it every day, all day. Keeps my lips nice and hydrated and it has an SPF of 10 which is always good to have!) 

NYX MEGA SHINE Lip Gloss in "Beige" (this is my go-to lip gloss. Perfect for everyday. I wear it over most of my lipsticks and liners.  It's a perfect pink. Not really sure why they named it beige because it is FAR from being beige lol) 

LORAC Behind The Scenes eye primer (I have the sample size that came with my Pro palette but I will be repurchasing this once I run out. It is a great eyeshadow primer. I have super oily eyelids and this really helps keep my shadows from creasing!) 

Rimmel London's Stay Matte pressed powder (OMG I love this! This is a repurchase for me! I use it to set my under eye concelear and dust it over my t-zone area. I have the shade 020 nude beige. It's a little light but that's ok, it sort of acts as a matte highlighter which is nice and helps keep me matte. It is not translucent but doesn't really apply any extra coverage to the face...at least not for me)

And last but not least is my M•A•C MSF or Mineralized Skin Finish in lightscapade (this is my favorite highlighter of the moment. It is cool toned and very natural but is still noticeable. It gives me the perfect "glow" and makes my skin look so healthy! I'm not really sure if this is still available. I got it from a collection that was released last year but you can always try a CCO they always have products that were limited edition, discontinued, overstock etc, that's how I found my viva glam gaga 2 lippie :) just sayin.)

Ok loves that's all for right now! I hope you guys enjoyed and let me know what products you are loving at the moment! If you would like a more in depth review on any of the products I mentioned please feel free to message me in Facebook or leave a comment and let me know! I love to review things :) 

As always dolls stay beautified and glamorized! 

Xoxo Katie :) 

Manicure Monday!

Hello dolls and happy Monday! I hope everyone got a good start to their week! 

So today I'm posting a "How to" on a fairly easy and dirt cheap  French manicure! 

I was helping my son with his school project that involved me using a glue gun. Needless to say my nails were looking like a hot mess afterwards, covered in paint and glue! Yuck! So, since I've been sick, it's hard for me to get out and actually go get my nails done, so I've taken it upon myself to paint them myself! I love DIYs! 

 

Now by no means am I saying my nails look perfect but I am not a professional. This post is for those of you who may have some extra time on your hands or may be beginners with nail painting like I am OR maybe you just want to save your money lol!!!

Everything I used can be found at your local drugstore and isn't more than a few bucks per item! (I'll include photos of everything down below)

What you will need-

Base coat nail polish (optional) 

White nail polish

A glossy top coat

Cotton balls

Q-tips or cotton swabs

A round or flat eyeshadow or paint brush

Polish remover 

Sally Hansen polish- retails for $2.79 at my local walgreens.

Kiss polish came inside of my trio pack from my last post.

Q-tips from Wally World the pack was like 2 bucks and brush is elf cosmetics at target for a dollar

These are the super jumbo cotton balls from Walgreens, I believe they were about 3 dollars

Nail polish remover also from Walgreens for 1 dollar! 

So you will need to start off by cleaning your nails with a cotton ball and some polish remover, this is just to make sure no other polish or anything is left on your nails so you will get a smooth result.

Once your nails are clean you can apply a base coat. Now this is optional- I didn't apply one. 

If you choose to use a base coat make sure you allow it to dry for at least 5-10 mins.

Next step is the white tips. Now there are so many methods of doing a French mani- they make stickers you can use to guide you which is easier but I didn't have any on hand. So basically all I did was start from one corner of my nail and painted in an upward angled motion

Repeat this step on the other side of your nail 

You should be left with an upside down v like in the picture above. 

Once you've done this all you do is just fill in the small area left right in the center of the tip of your nail. 

I find this method was the easiest for me and I didn't make many mistakes. Just take your time and keep a steady hand. 

Now if you do happen to make a mistake or you just want to clean up and shape your tip out to be more rounded you can use q-tips or the brush to clean and shape - make sure it's an old brush you don't need anymore. I got mine at target, it's just a dollar eyeshadow brush from E.L.F cosmetics. 

All you do is pour some polish remover in a small plastic bowl or the cap of the bottle, dip your brush in and then glide it underneath where the polish is. You may need to push up on the polish to round it out also so just take the tip of the brush and gently push upward right beneath the polish until it's as rounded as you want, then glide the brush across very lightly to give it a seamless look. 

Once you've completed all your nails on both hands let the white polish dry. I applied a second coat of the white but you don't have to...it's personal preference loves! Then you can apply your glossy top coat! Make sure you allow your nails to dry first! I can't stress this enough- if you start doing things with wet nails your risking all your hard work! Nobody likes looking at  banged up, smudged nail polish- not cute! 

 

This was so simple and easy! I suck at painting my nails but I think they turned out pretty nice for my first time!

Thanks for taking time and reading loves! I have so many more posts planned about makeup and other beauty things but I really want to start feeling better before I start taking pictures of my face lol. I was so overwhelmed by the response I got from my last post! It's so exciting and humbling for me! I just want to give you all a big hug and thank you! 

P.s- if you have any suggestions or ideas for what you would like to see in the future feel free to let me know! I'm always open for suggestions  :)

Until next time dolls...stay beautified and glamorized <3

Matte Nails!

So I went on small shopping trip to Walgreens for some medicine since I've been sick the past few days. While I was there, I had to stop by the beauty aisle and see what's new for Fall 2013! There are so many hidden treasures in the drug store! One of the most popular trends I'm seeing all over youtube and Instagram are Matte Nails! 

I've heard so many brands of nail polishes are making these special "top coats" that provide your nails with a matte finish. I was looking for the Essie brand but of course my Walgreens doesn't carry it yet. So after about twenty  minutes of hunting through every single brand I finally came across one by Kiss.

One single brand, one single pack left. It was meant to be lol. 

The pack includes three different types of finishes for your nails. 

Gloss, Shimmer and Matte. 

 

Now I must admit I was pretty freaking excited to find this little trio pack because I'm obsessed with nail polish and I love having my own polishes to take with me to my local salon. So even though I was kind of skeptical of the brand name I decided to give it a try and bought it! 

This trio pack of polishes retailed at my Walgreens for 7.79 plus tax but its worth every single red penny! 

As soon as I got home I took my pink polish off and started painting my nails BLACK lol. I've never been a big fan of black nails but after seeing Kim K with her matte black French manicure on Instagram a while back I fell in love! 

Products that I used 

Kiss Matte Effect top coat 

Sally Hanson Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear nail color in "Black Out"

Finished look

As you can see I suck at painting my own nails, hence, why I go get them done at the salon. BUT I was too excited to try this out to wait until next week for my fill in! 

I used one coat of black polish and one coat of the matte polish and- viola! Matte Black Nails! 

I can't wait to have my nails done by a professional using this product!

If you are looking for a matte top coat look no further! I strongly recommend this polish! And for the price and you're  getting three polishes, you really can't go wrong!!!! 

Thanks so much for reading my very first blog and I hope you enjoyed it! I can't wait to start blogging about EVERYTHING! Lol! 

Until next time dolls! Stay Beautified and Glamorized :)